The 2019 NFL season kicks off Thursday with the Chicago Bears hosting the Green Bay Packers as three-point favourites on the NFL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Chicago is coming off its most successful season in over a decade, racking up a 12-4 record to claim top spot in the NFC North, but takes a five-game straight-up losing streak in Week 1 contests into Thursday night’s matchup at Soldier Field.
That run of season-opening futility includes a 24-23 loss in Green Bay to open the 2018 campaign. However, the Bears later rebounded to post a 24-17 win over the Packers as 5.5-point home chalk in Week 15, halting an 0-8 SU slide when facing Green Bay on home turf.
The Packers return to action looking to reverse their fortunes after a dismal 2018 season. Green Bay closed out the campaign with a 6-9-1 record, and out of the playoff picture for a second straight year. The Packers have been a massive disappointment on the road during that stretch, going 1-9 SU over their past 10 contests away from Lambeau Field, while covering the spread just twice during that stretch, according to the OddsShark NFL Database.
Elsewhere on the Week 1 NFL odds, the Cleveland Browns return to action with high expectations as they host the Tennessee Titans as 5.5-point chalk.
The Indianapolis Colts begin the post-Andrew Luck era in Los Angeles, where they face the Chargers as 6.5-point underdogs, while the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots make their season debut on Sunday Night Football, facing the Pittsburgh Steelers as 5.5-point home favourites.
Powered by an offence led by quarterback Baker Mayfield and receiver Odell Beckham Jr., the Browns aim to build on a respectable 7-8-1 campaign, and have emerged as a +1400 wager on the Super Bowl odds.
The Titans closed out 2018 on a 4-1 SU run to fall one game shy of a return to playoff action, and now open the new season lagging at +5000 on the Super Bowl betting lines.
With Jacoby Brissett poised to take over under centre in Indianapolis after inking a two-year, $30 million contract, the Colts will be aiming to silence the naysayers after tumbling from +1600 to +5000 on the Super Bowl odds in the wake of Luck’s retirement announcement.
And the Chargers also face an uphill battle to win hearts and minds despite racking up a 12-4 record last season. Los Angeles remains a strong -230 favourite to make the playoffs, but sports -105 odds of winning UNDER 10 games on the NFL season props.
[relatedlinks]
